Syracuse, N.Y. — College football games traditionally happen on Saturdays when travel is easier for alumni, tailgaters can truly unwind, and the country can commune in a day-long celebration of colossal collisions.

Syracuse is bucking that trend this year, opening on a Friday night against Villanova.

Joe Giansante, the chief of communications for the Syracuse athletic department, said the choice belonged to Syracuse, and the reasons for the Friday night kickoff are multiple.

"In the past few years, the Friday night games have really worked for our fans," Giansante said. "My understanding is that the evening games have generated a great response."

Most importantly, the date anticipates potential conflicts and, Giansante believes, will allow the Orange to pull in a bigger percentage of local fans.

Giansante said he's hopeful the timing allows fans to enjoy both a football game and Labor Day vacations and that it will allow fans to enjoy good weather during the day and football in the evening. It also eliminates any conflict with the New York State Fair's major entertainment acts.

"Plenty of our staff is excited for that concert," Giansante said. "Hopefully fans can enjoy football one night and music the next."

Most importantly, Giansante said he hoped the early start would provide fans with "Opening Day" excitement.

When South Carolina and Texas A&M met on Thursday, sports fans welcomed it with a "football is back" fervor. Giansante said he hopes Syracuse will capture some of that same emotion while fans are famished for any sort of football.

"I think there's an Opening Day feel to it," Giansante said. "It's a new season and it's time to get excited about it. We've got an exciting team. For the new students, it's the end of their first week of classes. You can go to a party, or you can come to a party with 40,000 of your friends."

Giansante said Syracuse, naturally, would have loved for the game to have been picked up nationally, but the unusual start time could be beneficial in other ways.

With just seven games on a national schedule headlined by Connecticut and Brigham Young, the competition to make national highlight shows decreases dramatically.

"If we get one of those plays from Terrel Hunt, or one of those big hits by our linebackers, it's much more likely to get on 'SportsCenter' Top 10," Giansante said. "And when you look at the numbers, more people are going to be watching that Friday Night 'SportsCenter' than any of the games."